Learning Curve
by Dial the Gate
Summary: AU: Set after 'Enemy at the Gate'. Todd is just beginning to settle into a quiet routine on Atlantis when rogue Goa'ulds, led by Anhur, decide to raise their ugly heads. And their hosts are more than surprising, they're terrifying. Once again, Sheppard and Todd will have to trust each other. And Todd will discover what true loyalty really means.


**This is my first Stargate Atlantis story. Out of all the characters in this series, I loved Todd the best. He's pretty awesome. I want to explore the idea that there are 'many things that humans do not know about the Wraith'. So, hopefully, I can do that. I am also writing in British English, so excuse any funny spelt words. **

**Anyway, on with the show!**

**Chapter One**

Todd had grown accustomed to his daily routine. It had brought a sense of structure to his monotonous life on earth. But as he waited in his quarters for a guard to escort him to McKay's lab, he realised something was not quite right. In the four months since John Sheppard had allowed him a measure of freedom in Atlantis, albeit, it was an illusion of freedom, but it was freedom from the four walls of his quarters nonetheless, his guards had never been late. He began to pace, wondering if his outburst in the lab yesterday had something to do with it. The research assistant hadn't hit the wall _that _hard. If anything, McKay should be grateful; the fool would have inadvertently ruined months of research if Todd had not intervened.

Growling lowly, Todd clenched and unclenched his fists. Would Sheppard revoke his freedom and confine him to his quarters? Or worse still, would he be thrown into a prison cell? The very thought haunted him. He had spent countless decades locked in a Genii prison. There, they had tortured him as much as they tortured their enemies, by allowing him to partially feed on them. If not for Sheppard he might still be rotting in that hellhole. Todd stopped pacing and looked down at his right palm; it was smooth, not even a scar had been left where the feeding organ had once been. If he _was_ to spend countless years in another prison, at least he would not have to suffer through the same burning hunger again.

Perhaps, though, the humans would let him gaze up at the stars one last time before they locked him away.

It was almost mid-morning before guards finally arrived at his quarters. Without an explanation they marched him through the hallways, but instead of turning off to go to McKay's lab, they continued on towards Wolsey's office. For a brief moment Todd considered attempting to overpower his guards; he was more than a match for them. But it would be to no end. The humans would mow him down before he could reach the gate room.

Instead, he allowed himself to be ushered into Wolsey's office. To his surprise, he saw General O'Neill and Colonel Carter in the room, along with Sheppard, McKay and Teyla. The other human, Ronan, was missing, but Todd would not lament his absence.

"Ah, and to what do I owe the pleasure?" he said.

"Take a seat, Todd," Sheppard said, "Make yourself at home."

General O'Neill raised an eyebrow. "Todd?"

Sheppard shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say; he just looked like a Todd."

Todd gave a faint grunt as he sat down. He would never understand why Sheppard insisted on calling him that ridiculous name. McKay was on his right and Teyla was on his left. She offered him a slight nod of her head, which he merely returned with a cursory glance. He was not on Atlantis to make friends; he was simply waiting out his time until these humans could be convinced to send him back to the Pegasus galaxy – and to his own people.

"You might be wondering why we called you here today –" Wolsey began but he was cut off.

"Just get to the point, Wolsey."

"Of course, General O'Neill." Wolsey nodded in the direction of Colonel Carter. "If you would, Colonel."

Samantha Carter stood and began to speak, "SG-12 was supposed to arrive back at the SGC at twenty-one hundred hours last night. When they failed to come through the gate this morning we sent a M.A.L.P. through. There was no sign of SG-12 but the M.A.L.P. did recover a video camera."

Carter then pointed a remote control at a large screen on the wall. A video flickered to life and Todd watched as one of the humans talked about the planet they were on. Suddenly, there were shouts in the background and the camera swung around, capturing the two other members of SG-12 running frantically towards them. Then Todd saw them – Wraith. They fired their weapons, stunning the humans. The camera fell to the ground, although it continued to record, and very quickly the Wraith filled the screen. One of them bent down and picked up the camera and looked squarely into the lens.

"People of the Tau'ri, hear me, I am Anhur and you _will _bow before me."

The Wraith's eyes glowed and then the screen went blank.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sheppard said.

"Yeah, I was kind of hoping this was just one big old April fools, too," O'Neill added.

"This is terrible – do you have any idea what this means! The sheer magnitude of what could happen –"

Sheppard threw his hand up in the air. "Rodney, do us all a favour and shut up!"

Todd, who had been silently absorbing all that he had seen, said, "That was unlike any Wraith I have even seen before."

"That's because it wasn't one – well, it was one, technically, but..."

"What the General means," Carter said, taking over, "Is that this Wraith, and most likely the others with it, is now host to a Goa'uld."

Todd tilted his head to one side. "That means little to me, Colonel Carter."

"Let's just say, a Goa'uld controlling a Wraith is bad – really bad," O'Neill said.

McKay laughed almost hysterically. "Really bad, he says."

"The Goa'uld are parasites that need a host to survive," Carter said, pressing on. "In the past, they have used humans as hosts, but with the Wraith's superior strength and their ability to heal themselves –"

"We would make very tempting hosts," Todd finished.

"Precisely."

"How do the Goa'uld even know about the Wraith?" Sheppard asked. "As far as we know the Goa'uld have never travelled as far as the Pegasus galaxy."

"Daniel – Dr Jackson believes that when the Goa'uld came to earth thousands of years ago, they must have taken human hosts who were direct descents of the Ancients and learned about the Wraith from them."

"And our buddy, Anhur, has finally tracked them down."

"So it seems, Colonel," Carter said.

"Where does Todd come into all this?" Sheppard asked.

Todd snorted. "Your concern is touching, John Sheppard. But, I believe your commanding officers require information from me."

"Not so much information," O'Neill said, "We need you to work with McKay to find out what we'll be up against if the Goa'uld decide to merge their technology with that of the Wraith."

Leaning forward in his chair, his features like flint, Todd said, "Ah, so you want me to help you find yet another way to destroy my people."

O'Neill locked his gaze on Todd's. "Your people will be nothing but a bunch of slaves if the Goa'uld are allowed to go rampaging through the universe. And trust me, having one of those damned worms inside your head is not exactly a barrel of laughs."

The idea that his people could be reduced to little more than slaves was repugnant to him. He knew O'Neill had used those words with intent; he also knew that O'Neill did not care what fate the Wraith suffered; it was earth he was concerned about. But Todd had been through this with the humans many times before, each using other for their own mutual benefit.

"I will agree to help you, on one condition."

Silence descended on the room as the humans exchanged tense glances with one another. Finally, O'Neill said, "OK, let's hear it."

Their lack of trust in him was still clearly obvious, but Todd knew that these particular humans, once they had given their word, kept it. "When I have helped you reach your goal, I would have you return me to my own galaxy."

"And what if _you_ end up with a worm inside your head?" O'Neill said, "You know too much about Atlantis."

Todd's lip curled back in disdain. "If you deny my request then I will refuse to assist you."

O'Neill looked at McKay. "You're sure you need him?"

Rodney flipped open his laptop. "I could compile simulations based on what we already know about the Wraith and the Goa'uld, and then I could –"

"Just answer the question, McKay."

"Yes, General, I do need him."

A triumphant smile tugged at the corners of Todd's mouth. "Well, General O'Neill, do we have a deal?"

"This is not your call to make, General," Wolsey piped up as the conversation strayed into dangerous territory. "The IOA will never approve –"

"They never approve of anything do they?" Sheppard said, "It seems to be their favourite hobby." He then stood up and faced O'Neill. "If McKay and Todd can come up with weapons to kick some serious Goa'uld butt then what's to worry about?"

Wolsey, seemingly annoyed at being dismissed by the officers, said, "And if he decides to share what he knows with other Wraith about Atlantis?"

"Then I'll hunt him down myself," Sheppard said, turning to look at Todd menacingly.

**o0o**

Work began on comparing Wraith and Goa'uld technology almost at once. McKay kicked up a storm, though, when Wolsey informed him that he had assigned several highly recommended astrophysicists to his team. But in the end, Wolsey had his way. Todd spent the first few days familiarising himself with the Goa'uld. It seemed the parasites had healing capabilities of their own but their human hosts would eventually die, unless, that is, the host could be placed in a Sarcophagus. With a Wraith as a host, however, a Goa'uld would never need to regenerate, eliminating a significant vulnerability.

Unconsciously, Todd rubbed the back of his neck as he read about how the Goa'uld entered a host. The more information he absorbed, the more he realised that the moment the parasite had latched itself onto the brain stem, even the most powerful Wraith mind would succumb to it.

The lab doors opened and Todd looked up from the control panel. An unfamiliar human female entered, wearing the same overalls as the rest of the humans on Atlantis. Todd had finally managed to convince Sheppard to return his own clothing to him; he may have had to live amongst humans, but he did not wish to dress like one.

"Can I help you?" McKay said.

Todd gave him a curious glance. By McKay's stuttering question he assumed that this female was considered attractive amongst humans. It would not have been the first time that such a thing had happened.

"My name is Dr Jo Hampton; I'm here to report to Dr McKay."

"Right, Dr Hampton...I just thought you, what with you being called Jo...I assumed you would be a he but I see you're actually a she..."

"Is Dr McKay here or not?" she said impatiently.

That seemed to snap McKay out of whatever stupor he had fallen into. "Yes, that would be me."

Jo nodded. "Well, then, Dr McKay, let's say we get right to work. Where would you like me to be stationed?"

"Todd here is our expert on Wraith technology. We need to know what potential hybrid technology the Goa'uld could create, and whether or not we have the weaponry to fight it."

As if only noticing his presence for the first time, Jo took a step backwards. "He is a Wraith."

"How very astute of you," Todd said with sarcasm, "I can see why you are considered intelligent among your people."

"Don't worry," McKay said, "He's perfectly safe. Think of him as a lion with no teeth."

"I bet he's still got claws, though," Jo muttered under her breath.

Jo made her way towards a control panel, acutely aware that the Wraith watching her. She had read numerous reports in the SGC about the Wraith, and none of them painted them in a friendly light. They were predators, and no matter what McKay might claim, sooner or later _this _Wraith would show its true and savagely primeval colours.

"Do not worry, Dr Hampton," Todd said, "The humans fed me well at lunch."

Jo grimaced and the Wraith laughed, exposing its sharpened teeth. A nervous tension knotted her stomach and she wondered where McKay ever got the idea that this Wraithwas a toothless lion.


End file.
